Kung Fu Panda 4

Where was that marathon Oscar reviewing you promised, Jethro?

I had a migraine a while back and with it, some insight. I figured I've seen all of this year's winners (and I was right), so maybe, I could afford to skip some. I think I should spread out next year's Oscar crop over the course of this year. I got to avoid the overload.

Fair enough.

But I think I can say with confidence that Kung Fu Panda 4 won't figure in the Oscar race at all. It's a fine film, but there are plenty of ways it could have been better. 

How so?

This time, Po (Jack Black) is commanded by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to retire as the Dragon Warrior and become the valley's new spiritual leader. Po doesn't want to retire, but he agrees to hold auditions for his successor. But, in a stunning upset, he picks himself as successor. Yay?

Po is soon called into action when Tai Lung (Ian McShane), his nemesis from the first movie, seemingly comes back. In actuality, this is The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a mob boss sorceress, from the distant Juniper City. She's looking to bring back Tai Lung for real, along with several other villains, to steal their kung fu skills. Po recruits Zhen the Fox (Awkwafina), whom he caught stealing artifacts earlier, to help him stop her. Nobody in the city recognizes Po, but everyone there recognizes Zhen as a notorious criminal. Po soon thinks Zhen might be the next Dragon Warrior, but this fox has secrets of her own.

You didn't answer my question.

I'm getting there, Vance.

It's got a few good gags. There's an amusing bull-in-the-China shop skit when Po and Zhen get chased by Juniper City guards. Anyone familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender will get a kick out of a recurring merchant in that scene. Po listening to his inner voices leads to some silly results. Po and Zhen visit her local Den of Thieves, whose denizens (led by Ke Huy Quan's pangolin Han) are weirdly amusing when they "do the right thing for the wrong reasons." Nobody there is weirder than the killer rabbit trio, that's for sure. Po's two dads, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) and Ping (James Hong), get an amusing subplot as they follow Po and get into slapstick. Their chemistry is surprisingly good.

Po and Zhen make for a pretty good main duo. It's fun to watch them bicker and banter, but you'll especially feel it when they have their third-act fight. To spoil it, Zhen's betrayed Po to The Chameleon and feels bad about it, so she tries to stop Po from fighting The Chameleon. Zhen's sincerity is sold by the great animation and Awkafina's voice work in that scene. There's also great voice work from Black as we feel how angry Po really is. It's no secret that they reconcile, but it's nice when they do. 

What else can I say about the technicals? The fight scenes are good, the production design and cinematography are good, while the Chameleon's shapeshifting abilities are pretty nifty. The final fight gives Po a few inventive workarounds to The Chameleon's indestructible cages. The Chameleon's goons provide our heroes with a few good fights, and us a few good gags. Hans Zimmer, this time collaborating with Steve Mazzaro, gives us another great score. And ...

Jethro!

Which finally leads me to the problems. The first is that Po's mandated retirement seems awfully sudden and unnecessary. Why does he need to retire and take the new job? It could've been understandable if, say, the current leader, whoever that is, isn't long for this world. Second, The Chameleon is underutilized as a villain. She just sticks to Juniper City after impersonating Tai Lung and waits for Po to show up. That's it. Third and worse, the classic villains don't show up for real until halfway through the film. The only other villain besides Tai Lung to talk to Po is a new guy named Scott (Harry Shum, Jr). They and the other villains are just there to be there. These problems help muddle its message that change is a good thing. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 has plenty of the "skadoosh" from its past installments. Unfortunately, its unrefined plot squanders the potential of its inciting incident. It recovers somewhat with Po and Zhen's double-act, which makes me mildly curious for a fifth movie. This should be enough to entertain the kids if Dune: Part Two isn't for them. It's just 94 minutes, so that might be a plus to them. Make sure you get them to see the first movie. It's surprisingly still great after all these years.